Walter Cronkite - Dry Martini

Soldiers of the press. This week, Dry Martini. It's wonderful. Well, that fat clunk, Gary. Me and his whole Air Force are washed up, and yet they challenge us to come out and fight.

There's a dramatic story behind that Berlin radio challenge to the heroic crew of the Flying Portus Dry Martini. It's a story that comes to us from United Press correspondent Walter Cronkite. Recently, you heard Cronkite's story of his own flight with a fortress bombing Wilhelmshaufen.

Cronkite is assigned to a flying fortress base somewhere in England, and he knows the man of the plane whose name is Dry Martini, and whose insignia is a brimming cocktail glass. This is the story of one of those men, told by United Press correspondent Walter Cronkite.

The crews that fly America's flying fortresses Among the best trained combat teams in the fighting forces, they're keen, alert, and every man knows his job like he'd been born for it. What's more, they're all swell guys, regular, fun-loving.

Real American lads who have a grim and dangerous job to do and do it. They ask nothing better than a chance to keep on carrying the fight to the enemy and the skies over Europe.

Second Lieutenant Woody Clark is one of those guys. He's a navigator and a good one. His ship is the dry martini. I met him outside operations headquarters that Monday morning just before the briefing began.

A cold wind was sweeping across the field and a fine rain was falling. Hiya Woody. What's good about it? I didn't say anything was good about it. Matter of fact I think it's a stinking morning.

Does that make you feel any better? At least it's a realistic attitude. Okay, we're realistic. So suppose you tell me the correct time. Look, what's the matter, Cronkite? What's the matter, Cronkite? Can't you manage your watch that'll tell time on your expense, Cronkite?